There's been plenty of chatter lately about people potentially not getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But we're not here to discuss that -- we're here to predict who will be included in the Class of 2026, specifically which of the following 15 modern-era player finalists will be revealed as Canton-bound at "NFL Honors" on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, airing on NBC and NFL Network and available for streaming on NFL+ and Peacock):
- Willie Anderson, OT
- Drew Brees, QB
- Jahri Evans, OG
- Larry Fitzgerald, WR
- Frank Gore, RB
- Torry Holt, WR
- Luke Kuechly, LB
- Eli Manning, QB
- Terrell Suggs, OLB/DE
- Adam Vinatieri, K
- Reggie Wayne, WR
- Kevin Williams, DT
- Jason Witten, TE
- Darren Woodson, S
- Marshal Yanda, OG/OT
As a reminder, seniors category finalists Kenny Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood, coach finalist Bill Belichick and contributor finalist Robert Kraft are part of a separate group considered by voters this year.
As for my modern-era player predictions, let's start with ...
TWO LOCKS
Brees was the Chargers' quarterback when they drafted Eli Manning in 2004, which, of course, ultimately led to the team's acquisition of Philip Rivers, who replaced Brees when he left for New Orleans -- and, at one point, was on track to potentially join Brees in the Hall this year. Until Rivers, at 44 years old, decided to unretire and play real NFL games for the Colts, re-setting his eligibility clock. So now we get to focus on Brees, whose impact on the Saints cannot be overstated. In 15 seasons with them, Brees won 142 regular-season games and mounted nine playoff runs, including the march to the franchise's only Super Bowl championship to date in the 2009 postseason. When he retired, he was the NFL's all-time leader in career passing yards (80,358) and touchdown passes (571). The fact that only Tom Brady could top him in those categories simply bolsters Brees' ironclad case.
Arizona Cardinals, 2004-2020
Fitzgerald was one of the best receivers of his generation, if not the best. He finished with 1,432 receptions for 17,492 yards, second all-time in both categories, behind some guy named *checks notes* Jerry Rice. Fitz also had 121 touchdown grabs, sixth all-time, which is great -- and especially so when you consider how much of his career he didn't spend working with QBs as reliable as Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer. That broader team context helps explain why Fitzgerald never won it all. He basically did everything he could to make it happen in 2008, when he racked up an absurd 546 postseason receiving yards, culminating in what should have been the winning TD in Super Bowl XLIII -- until the Cardinals' defense collapsed against the Steelers.
ALSO PENCIL IN ...
I considered it a surprise that Kuechly did not make the Hall of Fame in 2025 as a first-ballot inductee. His five first-team All-Pro selections -- plus the 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2013 Defensive Player of the Year awards -- make Kuechly's case a no-brainer to me. Then again, I once felt the same way about Patrick Willis, who had to wait until his fifth year of eligibility to get into Canton despite, like Kuechly, packing otherworldly levels of production into eight NFL seasons.
Baltimore Ravens, 2003-2018; Arizona Cardinals, 2019; Kansas City Chiefs, 2019
Here comes another defensive star who had to wait a year. Suggs sits eighth on the NFL's official all-time career sack list (139). He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2011. He also won a Super Bowl in Baltimore in 2012 and nabbed one more title with the Chiefs in 2019 before calling it quits -- and winning rings seems weirdly important to Hall of Fame voters when it comes to defensive players, based on the historical record.
Dallas Cowboys, 2003-2017, 2019; Las Vegas Raiders, 2020
I would personally be inclined to give this last player slot to Torry Holt (10th all-time in receiving yards per game, with 77.4) or Adam Vinatieri (the NFL's all-time leader in points scored, with 2,673). Witten doesn't stand out as a game-wrecking tight end in my mind quite like Tony Gonzalez or Rob Gronkowski. But I understand if Cowboys fans disagree -- and if Witten ends up being the candidate over whom I diverge with the voters this year. The 11-time Pro Bowler was a good player, a two-time first-team All-Pro and two-time second-team All-Pro who tallied 1,228 receptions, fourth-most all-time, and his 13,046 receiving yards count as the second-most all-time among tight ends. That's a pretty strong résumé.
But what about ...
... Frank Gore? The ex-49ers, Colts, Dolphins, Bills and Jets running back is interesting, because he had exceptional longevity (16 seasons) and put up impressive numbers (3,735 rushing attempts for 16,000 rushing yards, both third all time). But he was also overshadowed by contemporaries like Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Gale Sayers (kidding with that last one -- it only feels like Gore's been around since the '60s).
... Eli Manning? I understand those who might be skeptical of his case, given his 117-117 regular-season record with the Giants. But he's also won two Super Bowls, and there's only one other eligible two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback who is not in the Hall (Jim Plunkett). It feels inevitable that Manning will join his legendary brother Peyton in Canton someday, even if it doesn't end up being in the cards this year.
